Good evening, everyone!

I've posted MissionComputer 4.0.3, which brings with it the following changes.

New features:

• The graphical picker now handles the Copy command more usefully when multiple resources are selected.

• The graphical picker now responds to Shift- and Command-clicks in the same manner as the textual list (Shift selects inclusively, Command exclusively).

• You can now save when an editor window is in the foreground.

• The Resource Selector now says in its title which type of resource is being listed.

• For consistency, the bööm resource's Graphic and Sound fields are now displayed as resource IDs rather than indexes.

• Added a help button to the Welcome screen.

Fixes:

• MissionComputer no longer crashes if you open one editor from within another, and then close the parent editor before the child (thanks, Qaanol).

• The cicn parser no longer crashes when opening an icon whose width is not divisible by 8, and no longer inverts the black-and-white icon (thanks, Guy).

• The oütf editor now properly describes the 'murk modifier' type (thanks, Qaanol).

MissionComputer 4.0.3 is available immediately, both from the Ambrosia add-ons directory and from davidarthur.evula.net. It is a download of just under 15 MB, and requires Mac OS 10.3 or later on PowerPC, or Mac OS 10.5 on Intel.

@david-arthur, on Dec 7 2008, 06:53 PM, said in MissionComputer 4.0.3 update available:

Good evening, everyone!

but does it handle ndats?

@david-arthur, on Dec 8 2008, 11:53 AM, said in MissionComputer 4.0.3 update available:

• The graphical picker now responds to Shift- and Command-clicks in the same manner as the textual list (Shift selects inclusively, Command exclusively).

Thanks, this makes things much easier
Out of bounds error if I mess around with this too much (select a range with shift, deselect one with command, then shift click somewhere else).

@guy, on Dec 7 2008, 10:14 PM, said in MissionComputer 4.0.3 update available:

Out of bounds error if I mess around with this too much (select a range with shift, deselect one with command, then shift click somewhere else).

I confirm this occurs on OS X 10.4 running MC 4.0.3 under Rosetta.

@rudy, on Dec 7 2008, 09:13 PM, said in MissionComputer 4.0.3 update available:

but does it handle ndats?

You're thinking of 4.0.4. (But thanks for that extension!)

@guy, on Dec 7 2008, 10:14 PM, said in MissionComputer 4.0.3 update available:

Out of bounds error if I mess around with this too much (select a range with shift, deselect one with command, then shift click somewhere else).

Fixed, thanks (it was just a selection-counting fault).

Lemme guess, ndats are a toy we'll get to play with in Nova 1.1.0?

If it's being considered for MC 4.0.4, wouldn't that place EVN 1.1's release within a few weeks?

gasp!

@jacabyte, on Dec 8 2008, 10:40 PM, said in MissionComputer 4.0.3 update available:

If it's being considered for MC 4.0.4, wouldn't that place EVN 1.1's release within a few weeks?

All that's really definite is that the main obstacle to supporting them in MissionComputer was recently cleared, making that the most profitable direction for my immediate development efforts.

Okay, you have me interested, I'll ask... what are ndats?

Just in case anyone here doesn't know, the type code for EV Nova data files is 'NDät'. If that gives any hint as to what ndats are...

@guy, on Dec 9 2008, 03:32 PM, said in MissionComputer 4.0.3 update available:

Just in case anyone here doesn't know, the type code for EV Nova data files is 'NDät'. If that gives any hint as to what ndats are...

So I'm assuming that it would allow you to edit the game itself? (once they allow you to) It would be cool to see some new features made by the players.

@ev-wolf, on Dec 9 2008, 07:09 PM, said in MissionComputer 4.0.3 update available:

So I'm assuming that it would allow you to edit the game itself? (once they allow you to) It would be cool to see some new features made by the players.

MissionComputer can already edit the game's data files, but (by definition) no scenario editor can give the engine new features. Really, this isn't nearly as exciting as everyone is making it sound.

@ev-wolf, on Dec 10 2008, 12:09 PM, said in MissionComputer 4.0.3 update available:

So I'm assuming that it would allow you to edit the game itself? (once they allow you to) It would be cool to see some new features made by the players.

The EV Nova data files being the files in the "Nova Files" folder (specifically, the first 6 files named "Nova Data x"). The various files in Nova Files all have different type codes like 'NGrƒ', 'NTďt' etc and plug-ins have the type code 'Npďf', even though they're all structurally the same and can all be edited by the same program. You certainly shouldn't be assuming anything as exciting as that

This post has been edited by Guy : 09 December 2008 - 09:15 PM

When closing unsaved windows the standard Don't Save, Cancel, Save panel comes up. Enter works for Save. Esc and Command+Period work for Cancel. Command+D does not work for Don't Save. As far as I know this is a fairly universal keystroke.

Small niggle, it just surprised me the first time I instinctively went for it. Great app, I'm really enjoying using it. Many thanks.

My guess: data-fork resources.

Yeah, if MC let you add new engine features, I'd go from scenario editor to hacking program, which I'm sure would cause Ambrosia to shut down its development due to potential piracy.

Query: I haven't used the cicn viewer before - I just tried it. It will let me view cicns, but not edit them. Is this working as expected?

Second question, of course, would be: "Can this please be supported?" I've wanted to fiddle with cicns for a while but have had trouble getting ResEdit with Novatools to work properly for me. The best I can do is edit pixel by pixel. I'd love to be able to make a cicn in a similar way to making an Rle.

Edit: Not a top priority. If it could be done without trouble, though, I'd love it.

This post has been edited by Crusader Alpha : 10 December 2008 - 01:46 AM

Second note: Command+M (minimize to dock) also seems nonfunctional in MissionComputer. Clicking the yellow gumdrop works as expected.

@spoony, on Dec 9 2008, 09:14 PM, said in MissionComputer 4.0.3 update available:

When closing unsaved windows the standard Don't Save, Cancel, Save panel comes up. Enter works for Save. Esc and Command+Period work for Cancel. Command+D does not work for Don't Save. As far as I know this is a fairly universal keystroke.

Yes, Command-D came in around System 7.5, and its absence greatly annoys me, but for complicated and somewhat absurd reasons it would be impractically difficult to support it. Command-M, on the other hand, I may be able to handle – I hadn’t noticed it, because I almost never minimise windows.

@crusader-alpha, on Dec 10 2008, 01:45 AM, said in MissionComputer 4.0.3 update available:

Query: I haven't used the cicn viewer before - I just tried it. It will let me view cicns, but not edit them. Is this working as expected?

Yes, at the moment it’s only a viewer, not an editor. The new version of it that appeared in version 4.0.2, however, is re-built from the ground up, and represents about one third of the work needed for a real full-function cicn editor. The remaining two thirds (the editor itself, and the ability to write a cicn) will be among my focuses in future updates; at the moment I’m anticipating their appearance around 4.1, though that may change depending on my progress in other areas.

@nonconventionally-creative, on Dec 10 2008, 12:05 AM, said in MissionComputer 4.0.3 update available:

My guess: data-fork resources.

Data Fork Resource Files.

Nova 1.1.0 attempts to load nova files/plugins/etc as data fork based and falls back to resource fork if there is no data fork.

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Nova 1.1.0 attempts to load nova files/plugins/etc as data fork based and falls back to resource fork if there is no data fork.

The ramifications of this would be that an effectively unlimited amount of data could be contained in a single file? Instead of the very irritating 16Mb recommended limit we must adhere to with resource forks? If this was the case I would simply worship whomever was responsible for the change.

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Yes, Command-D came in around System 7.5, and its absence greatly annoys me, but for complicated and somewhat absurd reasons it would be impractically difficult to support it.

Sad panda face.

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Command-M, on the other hand, I may be able to handle – I hadn’t noticed it, because I almost never minimise windows.

I generally do not either however, when I do I absent mindedly keystroke it. It's funny how you don't notice that you do something until it doesn't happen and then you stare at it blankly wondering if your computer has finally gotten smart and started defying you.

This post has been edited by Spoony : 10 December 2008 - 02:19 PM